Heuchera plant named &#39;Georgia Plum&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant characterized by leaves which are colored rose to light plum, strongly veiled, and medium large, purple pink flowers on dark peduncles, a medium, mounding habit, excellent tolerance to heat and humidity, and good vigor.

BOTANICAL DENOMINATION

Heuchera hybrid

VARIETY DESIGNATION

‘Georgia Plum’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucheraand given the cultivar name of ‘Georgia Plum’. Heuchera is in the familySaxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Georgia Plum’ originated as a tissue culturemutation in Heuchera ‘Georgia Peach’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,375) andwas found at the nursery production area in Canby, Oreg.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Georgia Peach’, the new cultivar has rose to lightplum colored leaves rather than leaves that are pink-orange shades inthe spring and early summer changing to burgundy-pink shades in the falland winter. In addition the habit is more compact with shorter petioles.The flowers are purple pink rather than cream and are on shorterflowering stems.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Plum Royale’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,935), the newcultivar has flatter, duller leaves. The leaf color is rose to lightplum rather than plum purple to silver.

This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:

1. leaves which are colored rose to light plum, strongly veiled, andmedium large,

2. purple pink flowers on dark peduncles,

3. a medium, mounding habit,

4. excellent tolerance to heat and humidity,

5. and good vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tipcuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttingsand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a one and a half-year-old plant of Heuchera ‘Georgia Plum’growing in a two gallon container, grown outside in April in Canby,Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a plant of the same age growing in the trial beds inSeptember in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations taken in mid-May of one and a half-year-oldspecimens growing in two gallon containers, grown outside in a shadehouse in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map.Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an averageof 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches peryear. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—20 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and            42 cm wide.        -   Habit.—mounding.        -   Vigor.—good.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—simple.        -   Arrangement.—rosette.        -   Shape.—broadly ovate.        -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow lobes, the terminal the            longest, shallow secondary lobes.        -   Venation.—palmate.        -   Margins.—crenate.        -   Apex.—mucronulate.        -   Base.—cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.        -   Blade size.—grows to 15 cm long and 13 cm wide.        -   Surface texture.—glandular on both sides.        -   Petiole description.—grows to 15 cm long and 2.5 mm wide,            glandular hairs, Greyed Purple 187B.        -   Leaf color.—variable depending on season and age of the            leaf, veins with strong colors and between the veins            (interveinally) there is a heavy “silver” veil lightening            the leaf color; topside, spring new leaves Greyed Purple            N186D with the edges and veins Greyed Purple N186A, bottom            side closest to Red Purple 59A all over; topside summer            leaves Purple N77C with the edges and veins N77A, bottom            side closest to Red Purple 59A all over.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Size.—grows to 5 cm wide and 22 cm long.        -   Type.—thyrse.        -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—about 50.        -   Number of thyrse.—about 10 in first spring flush.        -   Peduncle.—grows to 25 cm long and 3 mm wide at base, Greyed            Purple 187A, glandular hairs.        -   Pedicel.—variable in size, with glandular hairs, Greyed            Purple 187A.        -   Bloom period.—heavy June bloom then occasional blooms May            through October in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—2.5 mm wide and 5 mm long.        -   Description.—glandular puberulent, ovoid, down facing.        -   Color.—Red Purple 64A on bottom ⅔ and 64D on top ⅓.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—perfect.        -   Shape.—campanulate.        -   Size.—6.5 mm long and 4 mm wide.        -   Corolla description.—5 petals, 3 mm long and less than 1 mm            wide, recurved, spatulate, margins entire, tip acute,            glandular on topside and bottom side, Red Purple 70A on both            sides.        -   Calyx description.—campanulate, 6 mm long and 4 mm wide,            with 5 lobes divided ½ way to the base, each 2 mm wide and            2:5 mm long, glandular on top and bottom, tip obtuse, margin            entire; color both sides Greyed Purple 186C on bottom ⅓, Red            Purple 73D on lobes and 64A on lobe tips.        -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 3 mm long, White            N155B, anthers 0.4 mm, Orange 26A, pollen Yellow Orange 22B.        -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 6 mm long and 1.8 mm wide,            Red Purple 72C overall, ovary 2 mm long and 1.8 mm wide,            style 4 mm long.        -   Fragrance.—none.        -   Lastingness.—each thyrse blooms for about 3 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Fertility.—low.        -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199C.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—linear.        -   Size.—2 mm long.        -   Color.—Black 202A.-   Pest and disease tolerance: The new cultivar is typical to the    genus. No known resistances to pests or diseases. No problems have    been found in Canby, Oreg.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.